Articles Posted inPersonal Injury

Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral have fielded a number of questions from concerned citizens about the COVID-19 outbreak.

At Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, we stand in support of the many brave men and women working in our hospitals, as well as our first responders. We are taking care of our clients, our employees and our families and are doing whatever we can during these unprecedented times.

But the impact of the outbreak goes far beyond those occupations we have generally considered to be high risk. From dental hygienists to school teachers and grocery store employees — the portion of the workforce with legitimate health and safety concerns have increased exponentially since the worldwide pandemic began less than a month ago.

Spring training and spring break are upon us as Southwest Florida enters the height of the winter tourist season.

Traffic is reaching its annual peak in Lee and Collier counties, as the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox bring thousands of visitors to the area. On the beaches, spring break and visitors escaping frigid northern temperatures mean hotels, resorts, bars and restaurants are managing burgeoning workloads and reaping profits that will sustain them through the slower summer months.

While visitors can be injured at any time of the year, our experienced injury lawyers in Fort Myers know March is statistically the most dangerous month. Everyone faces an increased risk of car accidents this time of year. However, vulnerable road users, including bicyclists, pedestrians and motorcycle riders, are at even higher risk. Visitors are not only more likely to be bicyclists or pedestrians, but are traversing unfamiliar areas often crowded with vehicle traffic and lacking the adequate sidewalks, bike lanes and signs and signals that could help reduce the risk.

Florida ranks as one of the nation’s worst states for safety laws and enforcement, according to a new report by the Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety.

The Miami Herald reports the Sunshine State is one of a dozen states listed as “Dangerously Behind,” and the only state in the Southeast to be rated so poorly. Our Fort Myers injury lawyers noted in a recent blog post about enforcement of Florida’s updated texting and driving law that our state lawmakers continue to underperform when it comes to improving the safety of Florida’s roads.

Inadequate primary rear seat belt laws, lack of a motorcycle helmet law, and weak child seat laws, were all among the reasons cited. Florida is one of 31 states without a motorcycle helmet law for riders over the age of 21. The state gets middling marks for efforts to discourage distracted driving. While it bans text messaging during driving, the organization finds Florida’s efforts to restrict cell phone use are inadequate.

The booming Southwest Florida economy is thanks in no small part to the housing and construction industries. However, an increasing concern is the growing number of serious and fatal construction accidents that result from such rapid development.

The Palm Beach Post reports the number of serious and fatal construction injuries in South Florida has skyrocketed, up 140 percent in the 7 years since we exited the Great Recession.

More than 100 fatal construction accidents were reported for the first time in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2011 the department reported 42 construction fatalities in Florida. That means that in just seven years, the fatality rate more than doubled. Continue reading →

WINK News is among the media outlets reporting that the grace period for Florida’s texting-while driving law has ended and motorists can expect to be stopped and ticketed for texting behind the wheel as the new year gets underway.

The new law applies to drivers texting on a phone while the car is in motion. Motorists texting while stopped at a red light will not be at fault under the new law. It’s also still permissible to use a phone’s GPS while the vehicle is in motion, though it’s recommended to type in your destination before you start driving.

There was a six-month warning period after the law went into effect in July. After Jan.1, police will begin to issue tickets to law breakers.

The National Safety Council estimates 1.6 million crashes each year are caused by texting drivers. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving, which is now believed to be responsible for 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States.

A crash that seriously injured four teenagers in Estero is a sobering reminder of the risks young drivers and passengers face on the roads of Southwest Florida, particularly as we approach spring break and the height of tourist season.

NBC-2 reports the four teens were seriously injured in a collision at the intersection of Three Oaks Parkway and Estero Parkway. The kids, ages 15, 16, 17, and 18, were in a Honda Civic that collided with a minivan, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Two of the teens were taken to Lee Memorial while the others were taken to Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Our Fort Myers injury lawyers have posted a number of articles about the dangers teens face on the roads, as well as a number of parental resources, including this guide on buying a vehicle and insuring your young driver.

Black Friday signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season. This year’s season is the shortest possible — 6 days fewer than last year and the fewest number of holiday shopping days since 2013.

Combine that with an early start to frigid northern temperatures that descended upon the midwest before Thanksgiving dinner was on the table, and the forecast in Southwest Florida calls for packed roads and burgeoning malls and shopping centers from now until Christmas Eve Day.

Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral wish each of you a safe and blessed holiday season. Staying safe is a proactive activity that approaches the level of a competitive sport as shoppers and arriving winter residents and tourists compete for space.

The end of the year is a time of self-reflection and self-renewal. A time for family and for resolutions.

It is also a time when we deal with much of the paperwork that runs our lives. As part of your annual review, our experienced injury lawyers in Cape Coral and Fort Myers urge you to take a careful look at your auto insurance policy to make sure it will be there for you in the event of a serious accident.

For many victims, it will be their own insurance policy that will be the best source of financial relief in the aftermath of a serious or fatal motor vehicle injury. And, for too many, their own auto insurance policy may even turn out to be the only source of compensation.

National Fall Prevention Week is a critical reminder of the risk of serious or fatal injuries resulting from falls, particularly when it comes to older adults here in Southwest Florida.

The National Safety Council is promoting fall accident prevention from Sept. 23-29, noting that every 20 minutes an older adult is killed in a fall in the United States. While younger fall victims are more easily able to escape serious injury, older adults are much more prone to suffering serious, permanent disability, as well as loss of independence and mobility after a fall accident.

Injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral know many of these falls are preventable. Those who think fall injuries too often result in frivolous lawsuits have never suffered a serious fall. The fact is, fall injuries can be devastating. Not only do they account for the leading cause of death among older Americans, they account for one-third of all non-fatal injuries reported in the United States.

Media reports, including this one on BuzzFeed.News, continue to illustrate how the company works to escape liability. In one instance, a 3-ton delivery van, working a neighborhood during the holiday rush a few days before Christmas, barreled into an 84-year-old grandmother, nearly killing her. In another case, an Amazon driver working a Chicago neighborhood was charged with reckless homicide.

Our Fort Myers injury lawyers blogged recently about liability Amazon faces for selling dangerous or defective products. In those cases, Amazon is also working to escape liability, by blaming third-party vendors.

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